Being known for what you don't do can position you as the natural choice in your market. 

Today on the More Cheese Less Whiskers podcast, I want to share a great conversation with Paul DeLano from Lake Life Realty, located in southwest Michigan near Notre Dame.

Paul and his son Matt have built their business since 2010 around one focused decision. They exclusively work with buyers and sellers of lakefront property. If a home isn't on the lake, they simply refer it to another agent.

We talked about how this specialization allows them to really serve their clients at a level generalists can't match, from taking buyers on boat rides before writing offers, to building relationships with everyone in their ecosystem—appraisers, dock installers, marinas, and home service providers.

What’s really interesting is exploring how they're not just selling real estate transactions, but selling the lake lifestyle itself.

They advise families on how to maximize their time at the lake, connect buyers with local marinas during showings, and are building toward a full concierge service for lakefront homeowners.

Paul also shared how their direct mail approach to the 16,000 known lakefront homes in their area has become a real asset, and how selecting a single target market opens up opportunities to become an advocate and market maker for an entire community. 

There are lessons here for anyone thinking about the power of focus in their business.

Prevention beats recovery every time, especially when the threat is already inside your walls.

Today on the More Cheese Less Whiskers podcast, I want to share a great conversation with Kevin Donahue. Kevin is the founder and CEO of Stealth Family in Nashville, along with his partners, a former FBI supervisory agent from the Cyber Task Force and a legendary music attorney who's been in Nashville since '87. Together they're bringing enterprise-grade cybersecurity protection to high net worth families and individuals.

Kevin shared that hackers often lurk in your systems for six to 18 months before taking action, waiting for the right moment. The challenge he faces is the same one I see with home warranty companies and insurance providers. Most people only call after something bad happens.

So, we talked about positioning these threats as "avoidable surprises" rather than mistakes, and how focusing on protecting kids and elderly parents creates a natural doorway into the bigger conversation about all the ways families are vulnerable.

We also explored the idea of covering even the sloppiest cybersecurity habits, making protection easy for people who don't want to change their behavior.

If you're in any business where prevention is the product, there's a lot to think about here.

When you're running events, the difference between manipulation and value creation determines everything.

Today on More Cheese Less Whiskers, we’re talking with Joe Polish for an incredible conversation about what really makes events work. 

Joe's been running Genius Network for years and he shared exactly how he thinks about creating what he calls "happy client experiences”, where people walk away with more direction, confidence, capability, and clarity.

We traced the evolution from those early Tony Robbins events we both attended in the '90s to Joe bringing billionaires like Richard Branson to his events, and most interestingly, why he didn't advertise Bobby Kennedy, Jordan Peterson, and Tucker Carlson at last year's annual event even though they were speaking. 

We talk about Joe's framework of great food, great location, great people, and great conversations - but the real insight was his distinction between being admired versus being useful.

What really stood out was Joe's observation that success traps are harder to escape than failure traps, and how he uses my "compelling offer is 10 times more powerful than a convincing argument" principle to think about every aspect of his events. 

This whole conversation is a masterclass in understanding the 8 Profit Activators through the lens of high-ticket event marketing.

Focusing on your Profit Activators starts with knowing exactly who you want to serve.

Today on the More Cheese Less Whiskers Podcast, I talked with Michelle Miramontez, who has been in business for over 20 years and works primarily with coaches, consultants, and other service providers.

We started by talking about how she attracts clients and the types of offers she leads with. Then we walked through Profit Activator 1 and discussed narrowing her audience to create a more compelling “who,” particularly for her full-service automation packages. We also explored the difference between front-end lead generation and how that relates to long-term relationship building.

As the conversation progressed, we looked at ways Michelle could create compelling “cheese” for each segment of her audience, particularly the distinction between business owners who are already aware of automation versus those who don’t even know they need it yet. We also talked about using The Book Strategy to start more meaningful conversations.

This is a great example of applying the 8 Profit Activators in a consulting context where the service is both strategic and technical. You’ll see how the right positioning can completely change how people engage with your offers.

One of the most important things you can do is build your business around how you're wired.

Today on the More Cheese Less Whiskers podcast, I’m talking with Gene Donohue, a real estate coach from Apex, North Carolina, who’s worked in the industry since 2011. Gene started as one of the first 100 agents at EXP Realty, later led mentorship at Fathom Realty, and now focuses full-time on helping new and early-stage agents build reliable, sustainable businesses.

We talked about what he calls the three stages of growth: cash building, impact building, and legacy building. Most agents never get past the first stage, so we dug into the practical systems that make that possible, especially for people just getting started. Gene’s focus on aligning prospecting strategies with DISC profiles stood out.

The conversation is a great example of starting with self-awareness and then applying the systems-supporting mindset and revenue. If you’re thinking about how to grow your business from scratch,or help others do the same, you’ll find real value in this episode.

Acting skills can transform legal outcomes in ways most trial attorneys never consider.

Today on the More Cheese Less Whiskers Podcast, we’re talking with Olivia and Steve from Trial Haus Consulting, who met in college theater and now help attorneys deliver more compelling courtroom performances.

They've seen remarkable results helping attorneys shift from traditional impeachment approaches to more conversational techniques, contributing to over $40 million in verdicts since 2022 and even helping secure an acquittal in a potential life sentence case.

We had a fascinating discussion about moving beyond hourly billing to align their interests with attorneys through contingency arrangements, plus creating systems to document and scale their unique approach.

This conversation really demonstrates how bringing specialized expertise from one field into another can create breakthrough value. It's a great example of using my VCR (Vision plus Capabilities times Reach) formula to expand impact.

Finding invisible prospects is often the biggest challenge for service businesses.

Today on the More Cheese Less Whiskers podcast, We're talking with Megan Cannon, owner of Back to Balance Counseling and Consulting in the western suburbs of Chicago about an 'I want that' response in people.

Megan specializes in helping high achievers, overwhelmed parents, and anxious teenagers find relief through empirically supported treatments. Her practice is thriving with over a thousand sessions monthly, but she's looking to grow her team and reach more daytime clients.

We explored how to create a "prospect vending machine" by using targeted ways to transform invisible prospects into visible ones. Rather than just positioning to be selected through referrals or social media, we discussed proactively identifying people who need help with anxiety, OCD, and executive burnout within her five-mile radius.

The conversation revealed how offering valuable content like a book can both generate new leads and enhance referrals, turning "refer a friend" into the more powerful "give a friend" approach.

Today on the More Cheese Less Whiskers podcast, I want to share a great conversation with Dr. Joseph Tanti, a chiropractor who recently purchased a 30-year established practice in Edmonton, Alberta.

We talked about increasing his Return-on-Relationships, measuring spines under management and creating systems to orchestrate referrals rather than just hoping for them by using something like the World's Most Interesting Postcard to 'program' patients to notice high-probability conversations about back pain, sciatica, or other conditions he treats.

We also explored how targeting specific conditions with lead magnets can transform invisible prospects into visible ones within his five-mile radius. Books like the Plantar Fasciitis Solution, are great ways that people identify themselves as exactly the person who needs your help.

These approaches work for all sorts of businesses where customers might not recognize all the ways you can help them.

Family businesses need more than just legal documents to secure their legacy.

Today on the More Cheese Less Whiskers podcast, we’re talking with Paul Deloughery, a probate and estate planning attorney with over 25 years of experience working with business owners and families.

We explore how Paul can apply the Before Unit framework to attract his ideal clients - business owners who need more than standard estate planning. By selecting the right audience and creating a compelling offer like his "family benefits plan," he can build trust before prospects even consider hiring him. This approach transforms his service from reactive problem-solving to proactive relationship building.

Paul's story about reuniting an estranged family shows the power of this approach. Rather than waiting until after death creates painful conflicts, he's creating a new category of service that addresses the underlying dynamics. This perfectly demonstrates how patiently educating and motivating people, and presenting the right offer can create breakthrough results for professional service providers.